ED Staff Feedback

Three ED staff focus group meetings were held on Tuesday 9 February, Friday 12 February and Friday 19 February at the Emergency Department, Lyell McEwin Hospital.

A total of 39 hospital staff were present at the focus group sessions. These included Medical Officers, Registered Nurses, Orderlies and the Director of the ED.

Peter Stuart, Staff Specialist in Emergency Medicine was present and participated at the sessions. Kathy Hampel, a registered nurse from the ED, assisted in the planning and running of these focus groups. Kathy’s invaluable input and presence provided credibility to the findings of the project and greatly assisted in the development of solutions to identified problems and implementation of strategies

The main objective of these groups was to introduce the project, discuss ideas developed by consumer focus groups and identify problems from the perspective of ED staff.

Focus Group Activities

An outline of the Consumer’s Perspective project was presented to participants at the hospital focus groups. Participants were then asked what they thought were the main concerns for the community in accessing services at the ED. Issues raised by ED staff included:

	Waiting times
	Lack of services
	Transfer of patients to TQEH
	Uncomfortable waiting room/beds/lack of entertainment
	Lack of privacy
	Accompanying relatives/carers not allowed to come with patient
	Lack of patient/relative communication
	Lack of understanding about the triage system
	Racism issues towards staff/cultural misunderstanding from staff.

Detailed feedback from consumer groups was then presented to hospital participants.

As with the Consumer focus groups the following questions were used to stimulate discussion on addressing issues and strategies from the perspective of ED staff.
What is the ED doing well ?

Where can improvements be made for people who visit the Emergency Department ?

What changes need to happen and how can these changes be achieved?

To validate issues, comparisons were made between the identified issues and strategies recommended by the community and those raised in the hospital focus groups.

There was a significant correlation, especially in the issue of communication and poor waiting room facilities. Staff responded enthusiastically to feedback from consumers. This led to the development of a broad range of strategies that could be implemented to address many of the issues raised by consumers. These included:

	For the children – colouring books, puzzles etc – we have a lot of waste paper, could we print pictures/puzzles/quizzes etc. on the blank-side of non-confidential papers to distribute to bored kids.
	Have a second TV on the wall with child specific videos.
	Information leaflet in various languages on the triage/priority fast tracking system so as clients are aware of the running of the ED. The information verbally is often not absorbed – reading at own leisure would I think be more effective.
	Posters to be put up in the waiting room to explain what will happen when their name is called.
	A sign over triage that says in a number of languages, Come here first
	Pamphlet rack with information on community social supports eg. Interpreter services, how to find a GP in your own area.
	Posters/flow chart in the waiting room that show the process in the ED.
	Larger department with sufficient space for waiting and patient areas.
	Provide a baby change area.
	Unit meeting with representatives from Doctors, Orderlies, Nurses and X-Ray staff to make decisions together and discuss problems in the department.
	Sticky dot people who are required to fast.
	First move made with triage assistant.
	Use the whiteboard to indicate the patient has relatives in the waiting room.
	Provide doctors with tutorials regarding explanations/communication to patients and relatives.
	Locate and play the video about what happens in an ED – Country Practice video.
	Toy box to help entertain children.
	Confidentiality issues re fast track patients all using the same cubicle.
	Murals on waiting room walls. click here to return to Objective 3

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